


Take The Gloves Off

by Jimi Thang (la_enchanter)



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, How Do I Tag, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Meet-Cute, Near Future, Pandemic Romance, Relationship(s), SO MUCH FLUFF, Tags Are Fun, Tags Are Hard, Tags May Change, The Author Regrets Nothing, They Met At A Bar, They're Just So Damn Cute!, are these enough tags?, because pandemic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:02:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24785866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/la_enchanter/pseuds/Jimi%20Thang
Summary: They meet at a bar. They are appallingly cute. This is a story about how do you date when a pandemic is eternal.Answer: very carefully.I think this is a one shot?
Relationships: Rey & Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo
Comments: 4
Kudos: 35





	Take The Gloves Off

_Rey_

“Tall, dark, and moody, over there would like to buy you a drink,” Poe said in her ear.

Rey glanced over. A ridiculously tall man with a mane of raven hair stared back at her, eyes nearly black at this distance with the low light of the club. And he might very well have been the most beautiful man she’d ever seen in her life. Not handsome. Beautiful, like a classical Greek or Roman piece of art.

She smiled at him. He returned her smile, but it was a bare lift of his lips. The next moment he was next to her. Her friend bailed, and that was fine with her.

“Hello,” he said and oh, a delicious voice too. One word and she was already smitten.

“Hello, gorgeous,” she said with a grin and only grinned wider when his eyes widened for a split second at her return greeting, but it was immediately replaced with a gorgeous smile. Oh dear god, he had dimples.

The waitress stopped by and took their orders. The rest of her friends bailed to the dance floor, leaving her with this Greek god. She nearly pinched herself, because this kind of thing never happened to her.

“Ben,” he said, with a nod and she dipped one in return. For a moment she almost wished that handshakes were still a thing, but ever since the Blackbird Plague, she would have to satisfy herself with the fantasy of how it would feel to have her hand practically swallowed by his in a warm, firm, and lingering handshake. Woof.

“Rey,” she replied. The name made him grin. 

“Well, aren’t we a pair. I was certain you would have a name like Andromeda.”

“You don’t look like a Ben either.”

“I know,” he said with a self-deprecating laugh. “Blame my parents.”

Their drinks returned and Rey took her Cosmo for an immediate sip before removing her gloves, laying them neatly on the bar. They were lime green today, to match the stripes on her blouse. Naked fingers grabbed the lime, squeezing it into her drink before dropping the whole thing in, followed by licking her fingers only to freeze when she realized that Ben was staring. Her entire face went red. She hadn’t even thought about what she had been doing, since it was usually only her friends who got to see her do such a thing. They always teased her about it, but Rey couldn’t help it, she wasn’t going to ruin her gloves with lime juice. But that didn’t change that her naked hands were on display and she’d just licked her fingers clean in front of a total stranger. She might as well have just propositioned the poor man.

“We just met,” she said, but she didn’t say it with any heat, because propositioning him didn’t seem like a bad idea.

“I know,” he sighed. “But you can’t blame me if I can’t look away when you suck on your fingers like that.”

As if she could blush any further, she did and looked away, but only because it was more attention than she was used to. She busied herself with drying her fingers on her cocktail napkin before putting her gloves back on. It didn’t escape her attention that he watched her hands the entire time.

“You are very direct, aren’t you?” she said.

“I try to be.”

She looked into his face with a smile. “I bet you do. So. Who talks first? You? Me?”

“You choose.”

“Oh, you then,” she said with a grin and had another sip of her Cosmo, hands now modestly covered once more.

***

They talked until last call, at which point they both jolted awake to their surroundings. The bar had emptied out and aside from a couple of die hards, they were the only ones left. Rey vaguely remembered saying bye to her friends, a kiss on the cheek for one, and waves for the others. Ben had raised an eyebrow at the woman she’d kissed. 

“We’ve been friends since we were four,” she had answered his unspoken question. PDAs were super rare nowadays and always attracted attention.

“You have a safe way to get home?” Ben asked, appearing to be sincere in his concern. Really, this man couldn’t be real. 

“I live around the corner.” Rey finished her last sip of her last drink, which had as usual been only two. “But… can I get your number?”

He grinned. Fished out a card from his inside pocket and laid it on the bar next to her hand.

“Can I walk you home?”

“I don’t know. Can you?” she teased and he grinned and, oh jesus, that alone was enough to wreck her.

“Excuse me. May I walk you home?” 

“Are you a serial killer?” 

“Not last I checked.”

“Well. Then come on then.” She slid off her stool.

***

“I was hoping for a longer walk.”

Rey couldn’t help it. She sighed along with him which made them look at each other and bust out laughing. Well, she giggled, but he laughed and damn it, he had to have a gorgeous laugh too? Oh, he had to have some horrible failing somewhere.

They’d been having a lovely conversation. They liked similar music, he was a lawyer; she told him about her job as a nurse, a job she loved so much, and she’d only just asked if he wanted to meet for coffee when they’d reached her place.

“Yeah. I kinda wish it had been longer too.”

They stood there, her on the third step up, because that was the only way she could get eye level with the man.

“I’m glad I met you. I owe Poe a drink.”

“I owe Poe a raise.”

“Wait. You’re Poe’s boss?” Her eyes went wide.

“Yeah. Didn’t he tell you?”

“No,” and she started snickering. “That little shit.”

They stood there, staring at each other awkwardly, neither of them able to stop smiling at the other.

“So…” Rey found herself saying. “Am I being way too forward if I ask what your immunity status is?”

“Only if you think I am. I was just about to ask,” he said with that gorgeous grin and she beamed back at him. Dug around in her purse and pulled out the laminated card she carried everywhere with her, like so many now did, at the exact time he pulled his out of his wallet. 

They both had the red block lettered IMMUNE stamp on their cards, the rest of the card looking like your average Driver’s License.

Rey felt a breath come out of her. She’d been holding her breath. Oh lord. She was a goner. 

“So…”

“May I kiss you good night?” Ben cut her off.

“Please,” Rey sighed and Ben took a step up.

His lips were light on hers, chaste but with a ghost of more and then he stepped down to the sidewalk. “Good night, Rey.”

“Good night, Ben,” Rey replied softly, letting herself into her apartment building. When she looked back, he was still on the sidewalk, gazing at her with a soft smile. She waved back and headed upstairs. 

Oh, she was definitely seeing him again. 

***

_Ben_

Ben had been staring at the stunning brunette at the end of the bar for over five minutes, when his buddy, Poe, elbowed him hard with a laugh. 

“Distracted much?” 

“You said she was cute, you didn’t say she was beautiful,” Ben said, hiding behind his beer and hoping it was dark enough to hide how warm the tips of his ears felt at being caught.

Which Poe immediately took as an invitation to mess with his personal life. Again. 

“Let me go introduce you,” he said with a mischievous grin and darted away before Ben could stop him.

“Poe--!” he hissed. But too late. He watched his friend sidle up to the lady, say something, and then she’d looked his way and oh. Her eyes. No. Not beautiful. She was fucking stunning. Lush brown hair framed her face in soft waves, her tan skin dusted with adorable freckles across her nose, and then there were her eyes again. The light from the bar’s neon drink signs seemed to spark flecks of gold in green? No, hazel eyes. She was a sun drop in the dark of the bar.

She smiled. Oh. He tried a smile in return, but he was petrified. Women who looked like her, did not smile like that at men like him. He knew his nose was large and his features unusual, which did nothing to help that he was 6’6’ and spent a lot of time at the gym. Most women found him intimidating.

He couldn’t blame them.

But this girl, no. Woman. Her smile was open and sweet and her eyes twinkled with a little mischief, if he had to guess.

He had no memory of walking, but the next thing he knew, he was standing next to her, Poe abandoning him to his fate, though Ben didn’t watch him go. He only had eyes for this woman.

“Hello.” Not the smoothest opening.

“Hello, gorgeous,” she said with a grin and he nearly dropped his drink, but covered for it as best he could. Which made her grin wider and he found himself smiling in return. Oh. 

The waitress stopped by and he ordered another beer and she ordered a Cosmo for which he did not judge her. He’d been known to drink one or two on occasion. They were delicious. In the meantime, he had the vague sense of the rest of her friends heading to the dance floor, leaving him alone with this goddess. This never happened to him.

“Ben,” he said, nodding, and she did the same, except she looked up at him through her lashes on the way up. He nearly choked.

“Rey,” she replied and he grinned. 

“Well, aren’t we a pair. I was certain you would have a name like Andromeda.”

“You don’t look like a Ben either.”

“I know,” he said, laughing at himself. “Blame my parents.”

Their drinks arrived and Ben was then witness to what was obviously a regular little ritual of Rey’s that was borderline obscene in all the right ways. 

She took her gloves off.

Her dainty little green gloves. Put them on the bar. And revealed a pair of the most beautiful hands he’d ever seen. Delicate, but not breakable. She had strength in her hands. But that wasn’t the worst of it. The worst of it was when she picked up the lime hanging off the side of her drink.

He was entranced. 

Because she then licked her fingers in unabashed enjoyment and if his beer hadn’t been resting on the bar, he would have dropped it. Where did the air in the bar go?

She froze. 

Shit. Caught. 

And then she flushed bright red and he could see the exact second when the penny dropped and she realized what she had just done. She could not have possibly meant to do that on purpose in front of a complete stranger. But, oh, he was so glad she had.

“We just met,” she said, though she didn’t sound at all embarrassed, never mind the color in her cheeks.

“I know,” he sighed. “But you can’t blame me if I can’t look away when you suck on your fingers like that.”

He didn’t know people could blush that red. She turned her face away and this time she did look embarrassed, but hopefully in only the right kind of way. He hoped. Please, God.

His eyes never left her hands, as she dried them carefully on her napkin, pulling the green gloves back on, hiding those beautiful strong hands once more.

“You are very direct, aren’t you?” she said.

“I try to be.” Where did that come from?

She looked up at him with another smile. “I bet you do. So. Who talks first? You? Me?”

“You choose,” he replied, because damn if he had the first clue.

“Oh, you then,” she said and sipped her drink.

He already missed seeing her naked hands and she was right. They’d just met. But it didn’t feel like it.

***

“Last call!” the bartender yelled and Ben blinked. When did it get so late? The bar was almost empty and they were the only ones left. Her friends had left a while back, surprising him at the time because while she’d done the standard wave goodbye for the others, she kissed one of the women.

Yes, it had only been on the cheek, but it indicated a very close, safe relationship and he couldn’t help but quirk an eyebrow at the exchange he’d witnessed. 

Rey caught it and before he could even ask, she said, “We’ve been friends since we were four.”

Ah. That made sense.

“You have a safe way to get home?” he asked, quite concerned with how she was going to get to her destination without her friends to keep her protected. It wasn’t a bad neighborhood, per se, but he didn’t like the idea of any woman on her own that late at night. Okay, this woman in particular, but he quashed that thought as fast as he thought it. He’d just met her. God.

“I live around the corner,” Rey said like it was the simplest thing in the world, finished her drink, her second, before turning and asking as brazenly as she’d licked her fingers, “But… can I get your number?”

He grinned, unable to stop, arrested by both her forthrightness and her charm. He took out one of his cards and made sure to put it carefully on the bar where she could pick it up safely.

“Can I walk you home?” Her attitude made him braver than he felt.

“I don’t know. Can you?” she teased. Oh. She was beautiful, smart, charming, and funny? Oh. God, he couldn’t stop smiling.

“Excuse me. May I walk you home?” he corrected himself.

“Are you a serial killer?” 

That startled a laugh out of him. “Not last I checked.”

“Well. Then come on then.” She got up and he followed her perfect ass out the door.

***

She hadn’t been kidding when she said she lived right around the corner.

“I was hoping for a longer walk,” he said, suppressing a sigh of disappointment. He hoped. He loved talking to her. And they talked about quite a lot on the short walk to her apartment. It turned out she was a nurse, and her entire face had lit up when she talked about her job.

Rey didn’t hide hers, and did her sigh sound as disappointed as he felt? They looked at each other and they laughed at the same time. God, she had a beautiful laugh too. Oh.

And then she stunned him by asking if he wanted to get coffee tomorrow with her. Uh. YES. But the words hadn’t reached his mouth when she next spoke.

“Yeah. I kinda wish it had been longer too,” she said and that was it. He was a goner. He watched her slowly make her way exactly three steps up to her lobby door before turning. He hadn’t realized that she’d done it on purpose till he realized that they were now at the same height.

Yeah. Her eyes were hazel. Beautiful, beautiful hazel.

“I’m glad I met you. I owe Poe a drink,”

“I owe Poe a raise,” he blurted, not embarrassed in the slightest. He also meant it with every fiber of his being.

“Wait. You’re Poe’s boss?” Her voice went up an octave, her eyes opening wide.

“Yeah. Didn’t he tell you?”

“No,” and she started snickering. “That little shit.”

It got awkward and he didn’t care. She smiled at him and he smiled back and he couldn’t stop. Then she floored him again.

“So…” Rey began, “Am I being way too forward if I ask what your immunity status is?”

“Only if you think I am. I was just about to ask,” he replied, grinning wide. By the time he had his ID card out, she had hers out first and he had never been happier in his eyes to see red block letters in his life.

“So--” she started and he couldn’t wait for her to say another thing, cutting her off even as he chastised himself for being so rude. 

“May I kiss you good night?” Ben made sure to put the emphasis on the first word, and hoped.

“Please,” Rey sighed. Oh.

He slowly walked one step up, wanting to be closer and at a better angle, letting his head lower to hers and kissed her. He tried to keep it very reserved, but the kiss wanted to get away from him and he stepped back down to the sidewalk before he could get carried away.

“Good night, Rey.”

“Good night, Ben,” Rey said, and did she sound disappointed again? But in the good way? Oh, he really hoped so. “I’ll give you a call tomorrow?”

He could only nod.

She went inside and he might as well have been nailed down to his spot on the sidewalk. And then she looked back. Waved. Went up the stairs, leaving him bereft if with a small smile on his face. 

He could not wait for tomorrow to get here.


End file.
